Fuchs
A German surname meaning “fox,” often used as a nickname or house sign.
The #2,784 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 23,827 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Fuchs is the German word for “fox,” from Old High German vuhs. As a surname, it was originally a nickname for someone thought to resemble a fox in appearance, wit, or behavior, or it could come from a house or sign name showing a fox. The same root also appears in learned Latinized forms such as Vulpius, which means the same thing.
History
The name is especially common in German-speaking areas and is one of several German surnames drawn from animal nicknames. Historical surname writers also note it as a straightforward German equivalent of English Fox. In some cases, families later Latinized or adapted the name into forms like Vulpius.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older surname studies, Fuchs is often grouped with other animal-based German names like Wolf, Hase, and Hirsch.
From the historical record
“q.v. in Diet. FUCHS (Ger.) Fox [O.H.Ger. vuhs\ GASS "1 (Ger.) Street, Lane, Path [Ger. GASSE / gasse, O.H.Ger. gazza] GERHARD(T (Ger.) see Gerard in Diet. GINSBERG I f„, „,. ^ ^ GINSBURG ) '^°'^ GCinzburg, q.v. GIRARDIN \(Tr.) forms of Gerard (q.v. in”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)